Balcony Solar Simulator

What could a balcony system produce where you live? Pick components, set your state and sun exposure, and get an honest estimate. These are estimates, not a quote.

Your setup

System

Pick a catalog package or customize the solar array wattage and inverter continuous output below. Specs come from vendor datasheets cited in the catalog.

Overpaneling & ILR: Packages pair DC panel capacity with statutory AC inverter limits. See our definition of Inverter Loading Ratio (ILR) Inverter Loading Ratio (ILR) & Overpaneling The ratio of DC solar panel capacity to AC inverter rating (typically 1.15 to 1.38x). Solar engineering best practice (NREL / industry standard) oversizes the DC array so the inverter operates closer to its continuous output during morning, late afternoon, and cloudy conditions, significantly boosting total annual energy yield with minimal midday clipping loss. for standard engineering practices.

Select a CEC-verified inverter model from the equipment catalog to auto-populate continuous AC output.

Total nameplate DC panel rating (50 - 10,000 W).

AC output limit. Leave empty if unconstrained.

Location

Monthly sun hours come from the NREL Solar Radiation Data Manual (tilt equal to latitude), averaged per state. The default uses the average across all states.

Sun exposure and orientation

The irradiance table assumes an unobstructed mount tilted at your latitude facing the equator. Pick the closest exposure below; lower settings apply conservative rule-of-thumb derates, not measured values for your balcony.

Household electricity (optional)

Enter your household use or bill to compare annual energy. Bill inputs are an approximation using the editable rate and any known fixed monthly charge; no account, address lookup, or upload is needed.

Costs

Pre-filled with the US residential average of 18.44 cents per kWh (May 2026, EIA Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A). Enter your own rate from your bill.

Leave empty to skip the payback estimate.

Your estimate

Loading irradiance data...

System size
--
Annual production
--
Annual gross energy value
--
Monthly breakdown
Estimated production and gross energy value by month
Month Production (kWh) Gross energy value ($)

How this works: monthly kWh = min(panel DC kW, inverter AC kW if given) x monthly sun hours x performance ratio. The performance ratio defaults to 0.86, the NREL PVWatts documented 14 percent total-loss default; the shaded-exposure presets apply larger disclosed derates. Sun-hour values are daily averages from the NREL Solar Radiation Data Manual for Flat-Plate Collectors (1961-1990 NSRDB, tilt = latitude), scaled to month totals over a fixed no-leap year. Gross energy values use a flat utility rate without time-of-use or net-metering nuance. Household comparisons are annual upper bounds, not measured self-consumption or guaranteed savings.